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Post by Drahkk on Apr 30, 2012 18:58:41 GMT -5
As stated in the asparagus thread, I believe companion planting is a lost art that we can cooperatively revive through shared experience. I'm starting this thread as a place to share that experience. What seems to work in one garden may be proven false in another; each is one experiment in a great study. Here are some things that work for me:
I believe strong scented herbs help repel pests. I thought that basil was repelling hornworms and garlic warded squash borers. However, as basil isn't working for Jo and I have a rather small garden in which I also regularly grow oregano, dill, and thyme, I am no longer certain which herb (or combination of herbs) is having the effect.
I have developed the habit of using low growing crops like squash, melons, and New Zealand spinach as a ground cover or "living mulch" under tall crops like corn and okra, to minimize weeds. The spinach grows thicker and does a better job of this, but I can only eat so much of it. And I like melons and squash.
One definite antagonist I've seen: for whatever reason, peppers and tomatoes definitely do not like growing near the black walnut in my in-laws' yard.
What has your experience shown? What works? What doesn't?
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Post by 12540dumont on Apr 30, 2012 19:40:54 GMT -5
Nothing grows under the walnut here. Nothing. Leaves from the walnut composted, will prevent brassicas from sprouting. (Mine's an English Walnut).
Beans do NOT like onions. Actually, none of the legumes did well with onions or garlic.
Lettuce did great with onions and garlic.
Basil and Tomatoes grow fabulous together. The basil in the shade of the tomatoes.
Corn beans and squash do well together as long as the corn is far enough apart to let the beans climb without getting shaded out. I only plant the outside row in beans. A climbing dry bean works well. Tomatillos also do well in the corn.
Chickens and ducks do not do well with leafy greens...very bad companions, but geese will weed the onions of any grassy things. Mother's and other 3rd party visitors will devastate a pea patch.
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Post by Leenstar on Apr 30, 2012 20:20:35 GMT -5
Walnuts have a known allopathic substance called juglone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglone) that suppresses other plants anywhere near the roots of the tree. Alliums aren't bothered which is why you will often find wild chives around walnuts trees. Few other plants tolerate it. I first read about this in a permaculture book. They postulated that solanacae might do okay but I have no practical experience. Sounds like Drahkk's in-law's experience would speak to the contrary.
There is a black walnut across the street from us and the damnable squirrels bury walnuts all over. I try to get rid of the walnut shells whenever I find them in my yard incase there might be some residual juglone. I can't speak to English walnut but it is a relative of black walnut and I would presume there is some coming from it too.
As for other companions
-borage and basil with tomatoes and did well together.
- lettuce amongst the garlic and shallots seemed to have done well
- carrots and alliums did fine together.
- peas and lettuce did great together in an iffy bed that hadn't been well amended
I have been trying out the list of compansions in Jeever's book. At the minimum I have been trying to avoid things listed as antagonists. I grew some onions next year next to some beans and the beans seemed unhindered. The onions didn't do well but I haven't had much luck with onions from seed direct sowed anywhere I put them in the garden.
There is of course the well documented Three-Sisters. I grew Hidatsa Shield Figure beans with popcorn and Pennsylvania Crook-neck squash. They all did really well together.
I have gobs of lettuce seed that I have been saving from several years. I tend to use it like a living mulch and it does very well. I nice thick carpet of it does really well in and around ther plants. I have some filling in the gaps between my fava rows and my rows of beans. It is a sold green carpet out there.
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Post by Drahkk on Jun 1, 2012 16:21:51 GMT -5
After reading a lot of posts about CPB in other threads, I remembered another one. I remember reading somewhere that potatoes and beans each confuse/repel the major pests of the other (beans repel CPB and potatoes repel Mexican bean beetle), and that interplanting them can be beneficial for that reason. Has anyone tried this with any degree of success? I have not tested it myself.
MB
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Post by 12540dumont on Jun 1, 2012 18:12:31 GMT -5
I cannot put beans and potatoes together but I have the potatoes in a block and have put beans on either side of them. I don't get CPB yet. I do get Mexican Bean Beetles and flea Beetles which are pretty much ruining my greens this year. (The flea Beetles). Look at my poor Swiss Chard. Nothing to do now but mow it, water it, and hope I get some eventually during the season. Every row of chard is like this, and every row of spinach. My beat greens look like they have eczema. It's really sad. As a long time farmer, I have found that sometimes what I think is a companion plant is actually a host for beneficial insects who are doing the work. Although the marigolds are repelling the evil nematodes (not all nematodes are evil, but some are nasty) the dill is actually a host for small mouth part insects who snack on insect eggs. I found a whole slew of things that eat thrips, unfortunately, none of them bloom over winter when I have thrips! Maddening it is! Attachments:
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Post by MikeH on Jun 1, 2012 19:56:01 GMT -5
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jun 1, 2012 20:42:52 GMT -5
Did you notice that Black Walnut kills blackberries but not black raspberries? I find that totally amazing. Our BW is in the middle of the wax corn field.
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Post by 12540dumont on Jun 1, 2012 22:16:24 GMT -5
MNJ,
What was the name of that spineless blackberry you grow?
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jun 2, 2012 10:54:34 GMT -5
Arapaho. Apache is another spineless variety I THINK... I'll have to look it up to be certain. There are several others as well. I'll hit you up with that data later, ok?
Are you looking for germplasm? I can send you some cuttings if you like.
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Post by castanea on Jun 2, 2012 11:13:41 GMT -5
The best book on the subject is Craig Dremann's booklet called "Companion Plants: Carrots Really Detest Tomatoes".
The worst book on the subject is "Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening" by Riotte. It is practically a work of fiction.
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Post by kwilds on Jun 2, 2012 11:21:28 GMT -5
I found a whole slew of things that eat thrips, unfortunately, none of them bloom over winter when I have thrips! What have you found that works for thrips? I have a grape plant that is plagued by thrips every year! |
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Post by Drahkk on Jun 2, 2012 11:52:30 GMT -5
I'm growing Arapaho as well; I like them because they have smaller and fewer seeds than most. There were several others I considered. It's a question of which traits are most important to you. Apache is supposed to produce the biggest berries. Ouachita produces the largest crop. Navaho is the only thornless that is fully erect and can grow without stake or trellis. I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting, but those are the ones I remember choosing between.
I usually have better luck transplanting root cuttings rather than canes, but I've certainly never tried mailing them to anyone. What is the accepted method?
MB
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